Cell Tower Lease Income: A Built-in Termination Clause

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This is not a ‘hit piece’ that is attempting to scare cell tower lease owners into dumping their leases. On the contrary, this class of lease is an asset that should provide an increasing income for years to come. In fact, fewer than 5% of all cell tower leases have ever been terminated. Most of these were caused by redundancy which occurs when carriers merge or consolidate.

The long term income from a well negotiated telecom lease is in great demand, not just by land owners, but by buyers willing to advance up to 15 years of the income from the lease, even if the lease is in its last years before expiration.

At some point we all get concerned about losing our cell tower leases through decommissioning of our cell towers or roof top sites. We are not losers if we decide to “take our chips and go home”. Sometimes we have a need not to gamble any more.

Here are a few of the things we should all think about:

Will the carrier/tenant on my lease still need my cell site in 15 years?

Will continuing industry consolidation cause my cell site to become redundant?

Will technology over the next 10 to 15 years make my cell site obsolete?

These are all fair questions. Remember that there is a reason that virtually every cell site lease has a built-in termination clause.

Andrew G. Kellerman, President of 1st-CellTowerBroker.com, Inc., is a financial advisor, specializing in telecom leases. His background includes V.P. Thomson McKinnon Securities, commodity futures, stock options, stocks and private placements, real estate and mortgages. Call for a quote before you negotiate or sell a cellular lease (760) 470-1782